122 01 ^ THE PHYSIOaJTOMY OE SERPENTS. 
the generic names Acanthophis, Echidna, Cophias, and 
Natrix, substituted for the established denominations, 
Ophryas, Vipera, Trigonocephalus, and Coluber. 
It is almost to the same epoch we must refer the extensive 
researches of the late H. Boie on Beptiles. This zealous 
and indefatigable naturalist, in arranging the materials of the 
collection of serpents in the Museum of the Low Countries, 
has proposed numerous generic sections, in a great mea- 
sure established at the expense of those already known. 
This great work, in which Boie had collected his researches, 
having been unpublished to the present day, it has 
happened that extracts have been communicated to many 
herpetologists, who have hastened to adopt the views of 
the late Boie, before the original researches could be laid 
before the public. It was only in 1827 that M. Fr, 
Boie of Keil published a sketch of the researches of his 
brother, enriched with his own remarks. The following 
are the names of the new genera of Ophidians contained in 
the work of the late M. Boie : — Xenopeltis (Beinwardt) ; 
Brachyorrhos (Kuhl) ; Lycodon (Boie) ; Oligodon (Boie) ; 
Amblycephalus (Kuhl) ; Elapodis (Boie) ; Homalopsis 
(Kuhl) ; Xenodon (Boie) ; Tropidonotus (Kuhl) ; Her- 
petodryas (Boie) ; Dendrophis (Boie) ; Psammophis (Boie) ; 
and Chrysopelea (Boie). The specific description of my 
work being in some measure founded on the labours of 
Boie, it may be seen on consulting the memoir I have just 
mentioned, in what my views differ from those of my pre- 
decessor.* 
About the same period appeared several iconographie 
works and observations on the Fauna of Brazil, which 
have greatly contributed to clear up one of the most 
confused departments of the science. The labours of the 
Prince of Neuwied deserve to be first mentioned ; this 
august traveller is almost the only person who has made 
observations on the habits of exotic serpents, and his book 
must be included among the most precious of those that 
have ever appeared on Herpetology : his exact, though mi- 
nute description, cannot fail to be extremely useful ; the 
* Isis, XX., p. 508. 
